The present invention relates to drainage apparatuses and more particularly to a waste assembly for use with waste generating appliances and as a surface drain including a reservoir which accommodates a floor waste or waste discharge line from an appliance in a selected location within the periphery of the reservoir.
There are in existence a wide variety of surface drains and floor wastes and waste outlets associated with appliances which link directly or indirectly with plumbing infrastructure in a building. These are found in public and private installations alike and are usually positioned at a low point in the drainage network. Generally in the case of floor drains and wastes these include a grate which finishes the assembly and allows ingress of surface waste water.
One such floor waste is disclosed in German specification D E 4115638. This document discloses a metal drain gutter inserted in a concrete or plaster floor and includes a grill which covers the opening but allows the waste water to enter the gutter. The floor waste includes a well or receptacle defined by a profiled structure including shoulder regions which receive the grate.
Usually, floor wastes are positioned to align with under floor plumbing so there is a significant predetermined restriction on the scope of available movement of above floor fittings to accommodate the position of plumbing and floor cladding such as floor tiling. As floor wastes and appliances must traditionally be fitted in with floor cladding this usually requires an adjustment of the grate or appliance outlet particularly where tiles and the like are used (as is common in wet areas) to suit the floor cladding. Adjustment of the waste or appliance outlet to match drainage plumbing infrastructure has in the past been inhibited once underfloor drainage plumbing is in place as there is almost no flexibility in positioning of above floor waste generating appliances or floor wastes. According to prior art methods an installer has two main options for symmetric installation of floor tiles particularly with the inherent restriction of non adjustability of floor grates. The first alternative involves setting the tiles to room dimensions in which case desired alignment with the grate may be a matter of lack or may not occur. The second involves setting the tiles to suit the position of the grate in which case the fit to the room layout is sacrificed.
According to the prior art the final position of a floor waste is dictated by the underfloor plumbing infrastructure, but the floor cladding must then be adjusted to suit the waste position which can often result in less than aesthetically pleasing results. In conventional drains the inlet orifice (or grate) is substantially in alignment with the drainage pipe and it is this requirement which dictates the final position of the grate.
Another prior art surface drain is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,182,795. This patent teaches a waste having a wide mouthed waste water receiving receptacle described as a drain body which accommodates a removable grate on a continuous recessed retaining step in the drain body. The drain body is sized to also receive a removable strainer bucket which catches debris and enabling periodic cleaning of the drain as well as preventing debris entering the drain system. As with most known floor waste arrangements, the positioning of this waste and more particularly the grate is dictated by the set position of the plumbing infrastructure underneath.
U.K. patent specification 1208 833 discloses a fluid waste gulley including a hopper which collects drainage water via top members which might be a grate or plate with an inlet orifice which seat on a ledge on the hopper. The grate or inlet plate disclosed in that patent have their floor positions dictated by the configuration and position of the hopper. However the arrangement described in this patent is directed primarily to the provision of a gulley adaptable to various layouts in rainwater and surface water systems. The top members of the gully assembly are not intended as flooring and the assembly itself is primary intended for stormwater and surface water. The arrangement described in that patent allows interchangability of two top members but is not intended as a waterproofing solution. Nor does it teach versatility of fitment at the distal end of a downpipe. In fact the disclosure teaches away from the present invention. For instance, the disclosure teaches interchangeable members creating alternative layouts.
Furthermore, the arrangement described in the UK patent is directed to an objective entirely different from that of the present invention in an its forms.
Thus, in the prior art floor waste arrangements there is almost no flexibility as to the location of the grate once the underfloor plumbing infrastructure is set and this is usually completed first.
This absence of flexibility means that a waste or appliance can only be located where it will align with an inlet to the main drainage plumbing and that subsequent work such as floor tiling must accommodate the waste or appliance outlet in that the tiling patterning is in most cases interrupted such that the result is aesthetically unacceptable.
The present invention seeks to overcome the aforesaid difficulties inherent in the prior art by providing an assembly for receiving a floor grate or waste generating appliance outlet allowing selective positioning of a grate associated with the assembly such that whilst the plumbing infrastructure may be preset the installer of the assembly has significant flexability in the positioning of the grate or outlet of an appliance within the limits of the mouth of the assembly.
This allows floor cladding such as tiles to be located according to a selected pattern and not dictated by the positioning of the grate. Thus the grate can be positioned selectively to accommodate tile joins by avoiding them altogether or intersecting with them. This also allows selective positioning of a waste generating appliance or floor grate without requiring alignment between said grate or appliance outlet and an inlet to drainage plumbing infrastructure.
The present invention also seeks to provide an alternative grate assembly suitable for use with the above waste assembly.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides a waste body for use with an assembly for receiving a floor grate or waste generating appliance outlet which connects with an inlet to drainage plumbing in a building; thereby obviating the necessity for the floor grate or outlet of said appliance to align with said inlet.
In one broad form the present invention comprises a floor or ground surface waste assembly including; a waste body having a waste collecting receptacle; the receptacle including an open mouth for receiving waste products from a floor grate or appliance; an outlet in communication with said mouth for connecting the waste assembly to an inlet of a waste drainage line for eventual discharge of said waste, said waste body also including a bearing surface extending at least partially about the periphery of said waste body and which supports directly or indirectly a grate or appliance outlet; such that the grate or appliance outlet may be positioned at any location within the periphery of the waste body thereby allowing the grate or appliance outlet to be selectively located to accommodate a predetermined pattern, layout or configuration of floor or ground cladding.
According to a preferred embodiment the waste assembly further comprises an insert which locates on said bearing surface of said waste body and receives said grate or appliance outlet in a preselected location in or on the insert.
The insert which is removeable prior to installation is fixed permanently once the waste assembly is fully installed as an element of flooring.
The position may be selected according to the positioning of the floor cladding such as tiles and the like to achieve the most aesthetically pleasing appearance. Additional the mouth of the waste body allows latitude for selective positioning of an appliance outlet. According to a preferred embodiment the insert functions as part of a flooring structure. In its broadest form the present invention comprises; a waste assembly for receiving and discharging waste from a floor grate or waste generating appliance and including a waste body having an inlet mouth which receives an insert and we is in communication with an outlet on said waste body for discharging said waste; wherein said inlet mouth is proportioned to allow selective positioning of a grate or appliance outlet within said insert within the limits of the periphery of the waste body such that said selective positioning of said grate or appliance outlet obviates the necessitity for said appliance outlet or grate to align with or be directly connected to said outlet or an inlet of underfloor drainage plumbing.
These arrangements have the added advantage of preventing unwanted interruption to a predetermined floor cladding pattern, layout or configuration. Preferably the grate or appliance outlet may be selectively positioned to avoid or alternatively intersect with a join or joins in said floor cladding.
In another form the present invention comprises; a waste body for use with an assembly for colon and discharge of waste from a waste generating appliance or floor waste, the waste body comprising an open mouth reservoir for receiving said waste and including an outlet for discharging said waste received in said reservoir, the waste body further including a bearing surface which receives an insert proportioned to cover said mouth, the insert adapted to receive a grate or outlet of a waste generating appliance positioned in the insert such that the outlet of the waste body connects to and aligns with an inlet to underfloor drainage plumbing; wherein the dimension of said mouth is such that said grate or appliance outlet need not align with said inlet to said underfloor plumbing thereby allowing flexibility in the positioning of said floor grate or appliance within the limits of a periphery of said waste body.
Preferably, the insert is set in the waste body with clearance for seepage via said shoulder In another form the present invention comprises: a waste assembly for receiving and discharging waste from a waste producing appliance, surface drain or the like in communication with the assembly; the assembly including; a waste body having an open mouth defining a recess for receiving said waste, and an outlet capable of connection to an inlet of drainage plumbing infrastructure allowing discharge of said waste; a closure member supported by the waste body for closing said mouth and which receives said surface drain or an outlet of said waste producing appliance; wherein the closure is proportioned such that an installer of said surface drain or outlet of said appliance may position said drain or appliance outlet at any selected position bounded by the periphery of said waste body thereby obviating the need for direct connection and/or axial alignment between said surface drain or appliance outlet and said plumbing infrastructure.
In another broad form the present invention comprises: a waste assembly for connecting an appliance outlet or floor drain to plumbing infrastructure of a building; the waste assembly comprising; a waste body having a wide mouth and defining a reservoir which includes an outlet which connects said waste body to said plumbing infrastructure, a shoulder region over said waste body for receiving a closure member closing said mouth and which receives via an opening formed therein an appliance outlet or floor drain; wherein said closure member is of sufficient area to allow a selection of the position of said appliance outlet or drain anywhere with the area defined by the periphery of the waste body such that the position in the closure of the appliance outlet or floor drain is not dictated by direct axial alignment of said appliance outlet or floor drain with said plumbing infrastructure.
Preferably, the closure member sits proud of said shoulder on projections thereon and forms part of floor structure.
In another form the present invention comprises: a grate assembly comprising: a retaining body which engages and is supported by flooring into which the grate assembly is inserted: a releasable cover retained in said retaining body and which allows waste to flow along and about a surface of said cover; a perforated strainer plate which allows passage of waste; an overflow tower which receives said waste in the event of blockage of said perforated strainer plate; wherein removal of said releasable cover allows access to said strainer for cleaning purposes.
According to one embodiment, the grate assembly is clamped with a lock nut to a prefabricated shower tray. In another embodiment the assembly is set in an adhesive or cementitous material. A thread on an outer surface of the retaining body facilitates anchorage of the assembly. Preferably, the closure comprises a roof including a contoured surface conducive to drainage and leg members supporting said roof and which engage a recess in said retaining body. Preferably, said legs bear on an upper surface of said strainer plate and are releasable from said recess in said retaining body by rotation.
Preferably removal of said cover allows access to said upper surface of said strainer plate for cleaning purposes.
Preferably, said overflow tower comprise a cylindrical body of predetermined height which terminates short of an underside of said cover. Said overflow tower operates in the event that debris blocks perforations on said strainer plate.